01/09/1961 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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~ 123 e 1/9/61 I THE AMAZONE ARTERIAL, JUST DESCRIBED, SHOULD SUffiCE fOR THE NORTH-SOUTH TRAffiCWAY. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL CAPACITY ABOVE PRESENT STREET CAPABILITY UNDOUBTEDLY WILL BE NEEDED TO SOLVE THE EAST-WEST TRAffiC PROBLEMS. THE RECENTLY PUBLICIZED WEST AMAZON ARTERIAL STARTING NEAR THE WEST CITY LIMITS PROPOS~S COMING Off THE AMAZON AT ABOUT 15TH AVENUE, fOLLOWING 15TH AVENUE TO A~DER, INTO A DIAGONAL STREET WHICH WOULD CARRY TRAffiC OVER TO 11TH AND FRANKLIN IS A POSSIBILITY WORTH STUDYING IN DETAIL AS PRESENTLY MUCH Of THE RIGHT-Of-WAY COULD BE ACQUIRED WITHOUT THE REMOVAL Of HOMES. 11 ~ ANOTHER ARTERIAL WHICH IS GOING TO HAVE A TREMENDOUS EffECT ON THE CITY IS THE COUNTY PERIPHERAL ROAD WHICH IS PLANNED AS A BELT ROAD TO CIRCLE THE METROPOLITAN AREA. SOME SECTIONS WILL BE COMPLETED IN 1961. THIS HIGHWAY WILL DO MUCH TO EXPEDITE TRAffiC MOVE- MENT IN AND AROUND THE, AREA. THE LANE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ARE CERTAINLY TO BE COMMENDED fOR THEIR RECOGNITION Of THESE SERIOUS TRAFfiC PROBLEMS AND FOR PROVIDING THE AID TO BUILD THIS BELT SYSTEM. THE PERIPHERAL ROAD SHOULD BE Of MUCH HELP TO ALL LANE COUNTY RESIDENTS IN VISITS TO EUGENE, AND SHOULD CERTAINLY GREATLY AID THE BUSINESS INTERESTS IN THE PERI- METER AREAS Of THE CITY. e O~R PRESENT PARKS LEVY EXPIRES IN MID-1961. AN ATTEMPT IN MAY 1960 TO EXTEND THIS LEVY WAS DEfEATED AT THE POLLS. HOWEVER, THERE WILL BE LITTLE MONEY fOR PARK IMPROVEMENTS OR ACQUISITION Of PROPERTY fOR fURTHER PARK EXPANSION UNLESS THE COUNCIL IS WILLING TO CON- TINUE SUBMITTING SUCH A LEVY TO THE VOTERS ON THE SAME BALLOT AS THE CITY HALL BOND ISSUE. 1 THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IN 1961 PLANS AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDES THE fOL- LOWING: ~ Cfj C\l ~ CO ~ I. COMPLETION Of STAGE I I Of THE WEST SIDE TRUNK SEWER 2. COMPLETION Of STAGE I I I Of THE WEST SIDE TRUNK SEWER 3. COMPLETION Of SECONDARY TREATMENT ADDITION TO SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT 4. DESIGN Of TRUNK SEWER fOR OAKWAY-WILLAKENZIE ANNEXED AREA. 5. CONTINUANCE Of SEWER DRAGGING PROGRAM 6. COMPLETION Of COMPREHENSIVE SEWER STUDY FOR ENTIRE CITY Of EUGENE 7. DESIGN Of PEARL STREET fROM 24TH AVENUE TO 29TH AVENUE 8. CONSTRUCTION Of 30TH AVENUE TO BLOOMBERG ROAD CONNECTOR 9. INAUGURATION Of COMPREHENSIVE STREET CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR STREET MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES THE CITY Of EUGENE HAS MADE AN EXCELLENT BEGINNING ON A WELL-LOCATED, MODERN AIRPORT. WHILE THE RUNWAYS AND LIGHTS ARE GOOD, OTHER IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN AT A MINIMUM. RECENTLY, THE AIRPORT COMMISSION REGOMMENDED AN OVERALL DEVELOPMENT PLAN WHICH WOULD PROVIDE A .NEW ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AND SUCH OTHER fACILITIES AS WILL BE NEEDED TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE AIR AGE. WITH SO MANY OTHER PRESSING NEEDS, I DOUBT THAT THE CITY COULD RAISE THE SUM Of ABOUT ON MILLION DOLLARS NEEDED fOR AIRPORT IMPROVEMENTS. SINCE THE AIRPORT SERVES ALL Of LANE COUNTY, THERE IS MUCH TO BE: SAID IN fAVOR Of LANE COUNTY'S TAKING OVER THE COM- PLETE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE Of THE fACILITY. EXPLORATORY TALKS ARE NOW IN PROGRESS WITH THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE. I' THE GREAT MAJORITY OF OUR CITIZENS ARE PLEASED THAT EUGENE HAS REMAINED RELATIVELY VICE-fREE. As AN AREA GROWS AND BECOMES A MORE LUCRATIVE fiELD fOR VICE INTERESTS, THERE ARE INCREASING PRESSURES TO "OPEN Up" THE AREA, THE CITY ADMINISTRATION STANDS fiRM IN A CONTINUED EffORT TO MAINTAIN A CLE!AN .CITY. THE COMMITTEE APPOINTED TO STUDY THE PROBLEM Of OBSCENE LITERATURE HAS COMPLETED ITS STUDY AND IS EXPECTED TO REPORT TO THE COUNCIL IN THE NEAR fUTURE. I AM HOPEFUL THAT WE MAY EFfECT A REDUCTION IN THE AMOUNT Of THIS TYPE Of LITERATURE SOLD. IN EUGENE BY SOME PRACTICAL MEANS. e SINCE THE PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN AWAY FROM THE COUNCIL AND BUDGET COMMITTEE THE PREROGATIVE Of SETTING fiRE DEPARTMENT SALARIES FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS, OUR MAIN CONCERN NOW SHOULD BE WITH OTHER CITY EMPLOYEES AS FAR AS SALARIES AND WAGES ARE CONCERNED. IT IS DOUBTfUL IF WE WOULD BE JUSTifiED IN SEEKING A WAGE INCREASE TO THE EXTENT THAT THE fIREMEN WILL RECEIVE. SINCE IT WILL SOON BE TWO YEARS SINCE THE LAST GENERAL INCREASE, I RECOMMEND WE SEEK fOR ALL OTHER CITY E~PLOYEES AN INCREASE OF AT LEAST ONE-HALF THE RATE Of THE fIREME~'S IN- CREASE. IT IS DOUBTfUL THAT THESE fUNDS COULD BE SQUEEZED fROM THE BUDGET. A fAVORABLE VOTE fROM THE ELECTORATE PROBABLY WOULD BE NEEDED TO fINANCE SUCH AN INCREASE. THE CITY ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB Of PROVIDING A fAIR LEVEL Of SER- VICES AT A NOMINAL COST. WE CAN BOAST THAT OUR TAX RATE HAS EVEN DROPPED OVER THE AVERAGE Of THE PAST fiVE YEARS. IN 1955-56 THE RATE OF 20.8 MILLS; 1956-57, 19.1 MILLS; 1957-58, 20.1 MILLS; 1958-59,21 MILLS; 1959-60,21.8 MILLS; 1960-61, 19.3 MILLS. IT SHOULD ALSO BE POINTED OUT THAT fOR EACH $100 COLLECTED IN PROPERTY TAXES FROM EUGENE RESIDENTS, ONLY A LITTLE OVER $20 IS COLLECTED BY THE CITY Of EUGENE. THE BALANCE IS CHARGEABLE TO OTHER TAXING AGENCIES. 1- :' , '. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE BEEN GETTING BY fOR APPROXIMATELY A 20 MILL TAX LEVY, I THINK ALL RESIDENTS SHOULD REALIZE THAT THIS CANNOT LONG CONTINUE IF WE ARE TO fACE UP TO OUR RE- SPONSIBILITIES. SHOULD THE COUNCIL AND CITIZENS APPROVE Of THE ABOVE OUTLINED PROJECTS, THEN OUR TAXES ARE GOING TO RISE PROBABLY IN EXCESS OF 25 MILLS. MANY CITIES IN OREGON ARE ALREADY CARRYING A 25 TO 30 MILL (OAD. A MITI~ATING FACTOR WHICH CANNOT NOW BE ESTI- MATED IS THE EFFECT IN TERMS OF DOLLARS OF FUTURE NEW CONSTRUCTION, EXPANSION AND ANNEXA- TION UPON C,TY REVENUES. LAST YEAR THE ASSESSED VALUATION Of THE CITY INCREASED BY MORE THAN $10,000,000, AN IMPORTANT fACTOR IN HOLDING OU~ MILLAGE TO A fiGURE AS LOW AS 19.3. e . , " ...4